A man is facing trial for the murder of John 'King' O'Connor in Co Wexford on New Year's Eve 2024.
Wayne Roche, the 35 year old man accused of this murder, has pleaded not guilty to killing Mr O'Connor on 31 December 2024. The trial is taking place at the Central Criminal Court in Waterford, before a jury of six men and six women. The opening day of the trial was attended by several members of Mr O'Connor's family.
Speaking for the prosecution, Dean Kelly SC told the court that Mr Roche, had been in a relationship with Mr O'Connor's daughter at the time the alleged incident took place. While they were not married, Mr Roche was the de-facto son-in-law of the deceased.
Mr Kelly told the court that the two men had been socialising at Mr O'Connor's apartment in the Cluain Fada housing estate in New Ross on 30-31 December 2024. On the morning of December 31, Mr O'Connor was found covered in blood on the floor of his apartment.
The court heard how he was found by his daughter, who phoned emergency services, but Mr O'Connor was pronounced dead at the scene.
A post-mortem examination was carried out on Mr O'Connor's body by State Pathologist Yvonne McCartney on 1 January 2025.
Elsewhere, Garda Padraig Conne from the Garda Technical Bureau brought maps that he had drawn of Mr O'Connor's apartment, the Cluain Fada housing estate and surrounding area.
Another member of the Garda Technical Bureau, Detective Garda Cathal Hannigan, was questioned about some of the photographs which were taken by investigating officers when documenting the crime scene.
While he accepted that nobody from the Forensic Science Ireland was at the scene on the morning in question, he did state that this was not necessary as the evidence could be studied by the relevant personnel with the photographs which were taken by Gardaí at the scene.
The trial will continue before Mr Justice Patrick McGrath and the jury tomorrow, with three weeks set aside for this trial.
